Rule 86.Effective dates

Group X: General Provisions · Last amended March 1, 2017 · Last verified July 14, 2026

In one sentenceRule 86 fixes March 1, 2017 as the effective date of the Wyoming Rules of Civil Procedure, applies them to new and pending cases with narrow exceptions, and sets a default 60-day effective date for later amendments unless the Supreme Court specifies otherwise.

Full Text of Rule 86

Text sizeJump to: (a) (b)

(a) In General. — These rules take effect on March 1, 2017. They govern:

(1) proceedings in an action commenced after their effective date; and

(2) proceedings after that date in an action then pending unless:

(A) the Supreme Court specifies otherwise; or

(B) the court determines that applying them in a particular action would be infeasible or work an injustice.

(b) Amendments and additions. — Amendments or additions to these rules shall take effect on dates to be fixed by the supreme court subject to the exception above set out as to pending actions. If no date is fixed by the supreme court, the amendments or additions take effect 60 days after their publication in the Pacific Reporter Advance Sheets.

Amendment History

Added February 2, 2017, effective March 1, 2017.

Plain-English Summary

Rule 86 handles the transition question every new rulebook faces: what happens to cases already in progress when the rules take effect? The rules became effective March 1, 2017, and they govern any action filed after that date without exception. For actions already pending on that date, the rules generally apply going forward too — but not automatically in every situation. A court can decline to apply them if the Supreme Court has specified otherwise, or if applying the new rules to a particular pending case would be infeasible or would work an injustice, given how far the case had already progressed under the old procedures.

The rule also builds in a mechanism for future amendments. When the rules are later amended or added to, each change takes effect on whatever date the Supreme Court fixes for it, subject to the same pending-case safeguard described above. If the Supreme Court does not set a specific effective date for an amendment, the default is 60 days after the amendment is published in the Pacific Reporter Advance Sheets. That default keeps the rules from drifting into uncertainty about when a change binds anyone.

Frequently Asked Questions

When did the Wyoming Rules of Civil Procedure take effect?

March 1, 2017, as set out in Rule 86(a).

Do the rules apply to a case that was already pending before March 1, 2017?

Generally yes, to further proceedings in that case after the effective date. But a court will not apply the new rules if the Supreme Court has directed otherwise, or if doing so in that particular case would be infeasible or work an injustice.

What happens if a new amendment to the rules doesn't specify its own effective date?

Rule 86(b) supplies a default: the amendment takes effect 60 days after it is published in the Pacific Reporter Advance Sheets.

Can the Supreme Court set a different effective date for a specific amendment?

Yes. Rule 86(b) lets the Supreme Court fix its own effective date for any amendment or addition, subject to the same pending-case protections that apply to the original rules.

Why would a court refuse to apply the current rules to an old, pending case?

If a case had progressed far enough under earlier procedures that switching rules midstream would be impractical or unfair to a party, Rule 86(a)(2)(B) allows the court to keep applying the procedures already in use for that action.

Source & verification. Rule text and amendment history are reproduced verbatim from the Wyoming Rules of Civil Procedure, adopted by the Supreme Court of Wyoming. Last verified July 14, 2026. · Official source

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